Pretending
by Princess Jaquline Chess
Summary: Zarina Skywalker was not born with Force abilities, she's just a normal girl living a slaves life on Tatione. But when a Jedi and his friends walk into her master's shop, her life stars a journey that lands her developing feelings for someone she shouldn't, leading a team of misfits around a galaxy, and forcing her to confront her people:the Ty'gen, so normal may be off the table.
1. Chapter 1

"Rina!"

The redhead - shocked at having heard her name (or rather her nickname) so suddenly urgently - dropped the ship part she had been scrubbing with a loud cling. The silver piece fell into the pile she had just picked it up from; her head shot up in urgency at her brother's voice, her violet eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Ani? What is it?" she asked, raising herself up from her sitting position on the sand. Sand fell from the crevices of her light beige work pants - but when one lived on a desert planet, what did one really expect? Her brother, who was sitting directly next to her, looked up from his own junk pile in a tizzy. "Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not," the nine -year old said as if it were obvious, "Why would something be wrong?" The light haired boy cocked his head to the side in confusion and stopped cleaning his own part in response to his sister's distress at his own account.

"I just thought - you called out my name so suddenly, and..." Zarina trailed, her cheeks reddening at her embarrassment. Anakin let out a small laugh; Zarina sat back down in her spot, shifting her weight stubbornly. She wiped away a red strand of hair from her face and grimaced at her brother for a moment.

"Well, Anakin, what did happen?" she asked, picking back up her ship part and rag. She had better finish her work, or Greedo - their slave master - would get extremly upset with them. For the third time that week; the Tyodarian was so hard to please and not to mention that he really didn't care if the job was correct or not, he would just complain anyway.

"I was just gonna show you this knob," he replied simply, holding out a silver device with a small smile. In the center of his small, tan palm lied a round silver contraption; was this what he had screamed about? "I thought maybe we could use it for Threepio..."

Threepio was the nicknamed christened onto C-3PO, the protocol droid that Anakin had decided to build out of an old droid carcass and various spare parts. Even though Ani billed it as a dou product between him and Zarina, Anakin did most of the work between the two. Zarina had never been very talented at those kinds of things, building things like Anakin did so readily and easily.

"I don't know," Zarina said, picking it out of his palm to inspect it. "But it's worth a shot I guess..." Zarina opened the pale red bag next to her - a stitching of her own handiwork - and placed the silver knob in a small pocket just on the inside of the bag. Zarina had taken up sewing as a distraction at about seven years old at the tutelage of their mother, following Zarina's father departure as way to fill the void left by him.

" _Boy! Get in here, now!"_ Greedo called in Huttese, the unofficial language of the barren, desert planet. Zarina, Anakin, and their mother Shmi could all speak the language fluently; one might even mistakenly think it was their native tongue. Anakin rolled his eyes and stood, leaving the back area of the shop with a grimace. Zarina hated that Greedo forced Anakin to do menial things on his own, considering the fact that Anakin was just less than a decade old.

Zarina sighed and got back to work on scrubbing away the grime on the ship parts with a grimace. Bearing down hard on the reflective surface, the pressure of her scrub forced some of her dark red hair out of it's loose ponytail - something that caused her scowl to deepen. Cutting her hair a shorter length would have been more appropriate in the dry heat, but she could never bring herself to cut her bright curls.

A few quiet moments after Anakin left, Greedo flittered by with a tall, long-haired man dressed in a flowing fabric and durable boots. The man looked as if he were in a hurry and needed something urgently, probably why he had even stopped by Greedo's shop in the first place. If he had any sense, he was most likely wishing to get off this barren planet and quickly. The man shot a curious glance at the half- Ty'gen before following after the quickly pontificating Tyoderian in a hurry.

Zarina returned to her ship part, quickly cleaning two more in the pile in her silence. Unlike the loud and at times eccentric Anakin, Zarina preferred the quiet. She presumed that she had inherited from her Ty'gen father - she could remember him often reveling in the quiet moments in between the exciting moments of life. It was another few minutes before the man bustled through the back part of the shop; his bearded face appearing quite agitated over something. Most likely him and Greedo had been unable to reach a price, since he came fluttering in after in a tizzy before proceeding into the front of the store.

Unlike Anakin, Zarina had never been unable to react quickly. So when Anakin came barreling into the backroom a second later in excitement, Zarina didn't react quickly enough and didn't move her pile, resulting in it being knocked over by the child'd foot.

"Ani! I've worked all day on that!" the girl said, leaning over to once again replace them into a pile. Anakin gave a sheepish smile and crossed his arms behind his back apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Rina," Anakin said, "but Greedo just said that after we clean the racks we can go home!"

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's clean the racks, I wanna go home soon!"

* * *

 **Ok...I don't need to be writing this...I don't need to be writing this...you already have your Captain America fic...**

 **Well, I guess now that I've already got a first chapter typed...**

 **This was going to be longer - but life got in the way. But yeah, it's a good start at least. (Right?)**

 **I hope you guys like this - maybe even drop a review? (Please!)**

 **But one or two explanations:**

 **(1) Zarina will not be Force-sensitive, she's just an average Galactic citizen trying to make her way. Ani will be, so that'll be a fun dynamic when he leaves to be a Jedi.**

 **(2) Ty'gen is not a Star Wars species (as far as know), it's something I made up. Ty'gen are humans (like how Mandalorians are), and they're supposed to be like Nomadss, as far as anyone knows they have no home planet following an event thousands of years ago. You'll learn more later, but I just thought I'd go and tell everyone I made it up so people don't look it up and think they missed some Star Wars trivia or something. (As far as I know, Ty'gen is not used as name for anything - but if it is, let me know, I don't want to steal someone else's name.)**

 **The early chapters are TPM, and will set up her life for AoTC, so the early stuff will be a little different than the rest of the story. Hope you enjoyed, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Uh…hi. New chapter? *hides* Author Note at bottom!_**

* * *

" _It's up to you, and it's up to me,"_ Zarina sang to herself in a quiet voice as she through the small house where she and her family resided. Her mother, Shmi, looked up from where she was working in a nearby alcove the second a note had left her daughter's mouth. Zarina, oblivious to her mother's look, continued her song with a slight smile. " _No one can say what we get to be…"_

"Zarina," Shmi said sternly. Zarina stopped singing with a start and turned to face Shmi with a frown. Shmi was an aging woman with dark hair and wrinkles curled around her deep brown eyes, a slight pinkish tan coloring her skin. To look between the two, one would never guess they were related, let alone mother and daughter. Zarina had garnered red hair and violet eyes from her father (which seemed to be the only thing he ever gave her), while Anakin more closely resembled their mother. Just about the only thing all three had together in terms of looks was their sunburned tans and hair that would curl under the right circumstances.

"I wish you wouldn't sing so much," Shmi said, her voice an odd mix of scolding and sadness. "You'll draw -"

"Attention?" Zarina cut off with an angry frown. Shmi sighed once and turned to look down at her shoes. Shmi had made the request for Zarina to stop singing or at least sing quieter on numerous occasions. And every single time, she was met with this resistance from Zarina.

"I just don't want you to get unwanted attention," Shmi said gently after a moment. Shmi rose to standing position and crossed over to Zarina, her purple cloth shoes creating a gentle scrapping sound as they crossed across the dusted floor of their home. She placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder with a gentle squeeze. "You know how dangerous singing those songs can be. If Watto or anyone else heard you, you know that would be punished or even worse, sold away from here, away from us."

Zarina looked down now at her own shoes. Zarina had gotten this warning many times before – it turned out that she had a penchant for singing songs that were none too kind about her plight. Some about the mythical Force that she had heard tale of that supposedly surrounded and binded them, others about freedom and the lives she and her family lead. Zarina knew the consequences of getting caught – she had the lashes and scars to prove it – but the Ty'gen side her father had given her had engrained music into her DNA the same way the mysterious feelings Anakin had were engrained in his.

"I know mom, but still…" Zarina trailed off, but Shmi nodded in understanding anyway. A mother always knew things like this.

"Mom! 'Rina!" came excited shouts from the doorway. The two women turned towards the excited voice to find the ecstatic form of Anakin quickly bustling towards them. His small leather bag was slung loosely around his shoulders and was nearly falling off as he rushed inside. From behind him came a small assortment of people with apprehensive looks as they entered their small home. The tallest was a gangly looking Gungan with pink scaly skin and eyes that shot upward out of his triangular head, just barely making him taller than his male human companion. Of the two humans, one was a tall man with long hair and trimmed beard, a beige poncho gracing his shoulders and a pair of practical boots adorning his feet. Zarina recognized him from when he visited Watto's shop earlier in the day. A slight smile pulled at his lips, unlike the second human, who was a small girl a few years younger than Zarina with long brown hair and a curious expression. Nearby was a small astromech droid painted a blue and silver color scheme that managed to appear curious as well, despite having no way to mark his/her feelings.

"Ani?" Shmi asked, coming closer to them with a frown tugging at her lips.

"We sent you out for Tulsa fruit and you come back with three people and a droid," Zarina said, before her eyes narrowed teasingly and she placed a hand on her hip. "Must have been a great bargain."

"Anakin was nice enough to offer us shelter during the storm," the man said in a pleasantly gruff tone. Shmi turned to Anakin at the man's words, for half a second the panic of the prospect of needing to possibly feed three more people showing on her face before she fixated a smile on her face. Zarina walked closer to them, forcing a new smile on her lips. She crouched down in front of Anakin and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you want to show your new friends Threepio?" Zarina asked. Anakin's face broke out into a smile at the prospect and turned to the unnamed girl and grasped her hand.

"You want to see the droid me and 'Rina are working on?" Anakin asked, an infectious enthusiasm in his voice. The girl barely got a word out before Anakin was pulling her towards a back room where the dismantled droid sat, a call for Zarina to come with them out his mouth within seconds.

Zarina followed the astromech droid that took off after the brunette girl. Zarina sent a glance over her shoulder as the group went to round a corner and saw the man and Shmi talking in hushed tones and standing near each other. Qui-Gon reached over and took her hand gently with a serious expression before releasing it and Shmi looked down at the items he had placed in her hands. She then looked up and mouthed something that looked like 'thank you' to him. Zarina watched with a frown, and the two adults looked up and caught her gaze.

"'Rina!" Anakin called from the interior of the room her entered. Zarina shook her head to get the frown off and turned back around, her curly red hair brushing her shoulders as she turned.

"Mistress Rina!" came the automated, but excited voice of C-3PO. Anakin must have booted him up in the time Zarina had stopped to watch their mother. His inner-workings of parts was exposed due to not being able to find the correct exterior parts. Otherwise, C-3PO was the picture of a good protocol droid. Zarina smiled and brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes.

"Hi, Threepio," she said. The young girl turned to Zarina at the exchange.

"Your name is Rina?" she asked. Zarina rolled her eyes and crossed over to Anakin.

"My name is Zarina," she said. "But Ani here refuses to call me that." Zarina reached down and ruffled Anakin's hair with an affectionate smile but the nine-year old swatted away her hand with a frown. Anakin grumbled something in a quiet voice as a reaction, but it was too low for either of his companions to make out.

"I'm Padmé," the girl introduced herself. She pointed to the nearby astromech. "This is R2-D2." C-3P0 stood from his seat on the workbench, his movements jerky and nearly hitting Zarina in the face. Padmé watched with an astounded expression as C-3PO walked around the room.

"Your droid is amazing," the brunette insisted with a smile. "Did you and Anakin build this?"

Zarina shook her head and wrapped an arm around Anakin in a hug, a proud smile on her lips. Anakin may have billed this to Zarina as a duo project between the two siblings, but Anakin had done nearly all the work. Not because she didn't want to help – but because he was just so good at it that her help just wasn't needed once he got started.

"It was mostly just Anakin," Zarina said proudly. "I'd say he did a pretty good job for someone so little."

"I'm not _that_ little," Anakin insisted, a glance directed towards Padmé particularly. Zarina noted this with a coy smile. The other girl didn't catch it, being far too preoccupied with the droid still toddling around. Anakin had attempted to point out that he was no longer technically a baby many times to no avail. His look to Padmé, however, told Zarina that just maybe Anakin had at least some lingering of a feeing for the older girl.

Several sharp beeps emitted from R2-D2 as C-3PO came closer to the droid. C-3PO glanced down at the smaller robot curiously. "I beg your pardon, what do you mean I'm naked?"

R2-D2 beeped once again louder.

"My goodness! How embarrassing!" C-3PO said in an upset tone. He looked down at his uncovered limbs in horror. "My parts are showing, my goodness!"

The three humans laughed, R2-D2 giving his own beeps of amusement at the tall, uncovered droid.

* * *

An hour or so later, the Skywalker family and their companions sat around their small table. Shmi had all ready been preparing dinner before their guests had arrived and had merely expanded the meager meal to include the three other life forms. Zarina didn't know where from – they barely had enough to last until Watto gave them another container of rations. They were living off scraps at this point given that the last one had been nearly two months ago by standard time.

Qui-Gon Jinn, has the man had introduced himself to her, and Padmé sat at the ends of the table, while the Skywalker family and the Gungan named Jar Jar sat on the sides. Anakin was talking quickly about his life here on Tatione. No malice was in his voice really, after all he was still a child and was merely just sharing what he saw as the facts that were his life anxiously to his new friends. Shmi and Zarina, however, spoke solemnly about their lives here as they attempted to get the outsiders to understand what life here was.

"All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies," Shmi was explaining, before Anakin cut her off excitedly.

"I've been working on a scanner to try to locate them, but so far no luck," Anakin said, the corner of his mouth frowning just the slightest at the end of his sentence. Shmi smiled.

"Any attempt at escape…" Zarina started, before looking at Anakin.

"…and they blow you up!" Anakin finished. "Poof!"

Jar Jar slurped his broth loudly at the end of the table by Qui-Gon, but upon hearing this overdid his slurp in the slightest, causing a noise so loud it stopped all conversation. Noting all eyes were on him, he put down his bowl and looked down sheepishly. His embarrassed look pretended not to notice the looks trained on him.

Padmé looked back at the side of the table with Shmi and Zarina. "I can't believe slavery is still permitted in the galaxy. The Republic's Anti-Slavery laws should –"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here," Shmi interrupted quickly. "We must survive on our own out here."

An awkward silence encompassed the group at Shmi's words, none of their guests quite sure how to respond.

"Have you ever seen a Podrace?" Anakin asked, breaking the tension in the slightest. Padmé shook her head no at the question. The brunette turned to Shmi, noting the hard expression on the older woman's face.

At the other side of the table, Jar Jar launched out his tongue at food in a nearby bowl, picking out a morsel of it and quickly sucking it into his mouth. He smacked his lips in satisfaction. Qui-Gon shot him a disapproving frown which once again silenced the Gungan.

"They have Podracing on Malastare," Qui-Gon said. "Very fast, very dangerous."

Anakin grinned a wicked smile. "I'm the only human who can do it!" Shmi gave him a scolding glance which immedailty wiped any semblance of a grin off the young boy's sun-burned face. "I'm not bragging, Mom, honest! It's true. Watto says that he has never heard of a human racing before."

Qui-Gon looked at Anakin with a critical glance, one that Zarina didn't like all that much. "You must have Jedi reflexes if you race Pods."

Anakin once again smiled that wicked smile at the compliment. Jar Jar once again stuck out his tongue again to grab just one more speck of food, but this time Qui-Gon caught the slimy pink tongue before he could reach the bowl of food. The tongue remained pinched between the man's pointer finger and thumb as Qui-Gon sent him an admonishing look.

"Don't do that again," Qui-Gon advised harshly. Jar Jar gave an unintelligible, mangled reply and Qui-Gon released his hold on the Gungan's tongue.

"You're a Jedi, aren't you?" Anakin asked suddenly, surprising all at the table except Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon and Anakin stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"What makes you think that?" Qui-Gon eventually ventured. Zarina saw Anakin sallow as he gathered up his courage.

"I saw your lightsaber. Only Jedi Knight carry that kind of weapon," Anakin said. Qui-Gon gave a smile that hid a meaning Zarina didn't know, and leaned back in his chair.

"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him," Qui-Gon said. Anakin shook his head in refusal of the statement.

"No one can kill a Jedi," Anakin said matter-of-factly. A hint of sadness now entered the man's dark eyes.

"I wish that were so…." Qui-Gon said, his voice sounding a million lightyears away.

"I had a dream I was a Jedi," Anakin said quickly, excited to share. "I came back here and freed all the slaves." Anakin's face screwed into one of confusion. "Is that why you're here? To free slaves?"

Zarina's head turned towards the man at Anakin's words, excitement swelling in her chest. If this man was indeed a Jedi, then perhaps he was here to free them. The possibility danced in her head, but she dared not raise her hopes. Far too many people had gotten her hopes high only to dash them before she could even see the dream clear in her head.

"Is it? Are you here to free slaves?" Zarina asked hopefully, looking between the two ends of the table with wide eyes.

Qui-Gon looked at her gently and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, I'm afraid not…" he said, his look a bit sorrowful. Zarina looked away and sighed, leaning forward against the table and crossing her arms. Even though she hadn't thought it true, the idea it had been was enough to make her just the tiniest bit excited. Anakin, however, refused to believe him.

"I think you are," Anakin insisted. "Why else would be here?" Shmi opened her mouth to say something – most likely a chastise Anakin for overstepping bounds – but Qui-Gon beat her to vocalizing, leaning forward in his chair and removing his hand from Zarina's shoulder.

"I can see there's no fooling you, Anakin. But you mustn't let anyone know about us. We're on our way to Coruscant, the eternal system of the Republic, on a very important mission," Qui-Gon said. Anakin and Zarina shared a look as their eyes widened.

"Coruscant? Wow!" Anakin said. Zarina raised an eyebrow at him.

"How do you end up out here in the Outer Rim?" Zarina asked in a confused tone.

"Our ship was damaged," Padmé answered. "We're stranded here until we can repair it."

"I can help!" Anakin said quickly, always ready to lend a helping hand. "I can fix anything!"

Qui-Gon smiled. "I believe you. But our first task, as you saw in Watto's shop, is to acquire the parts we need."

"Wit nutten ta trade," Jar Jar commented in a sour tone. Padmé looked at Qui-Gon with a conspiratorial expression.

"These junk traders must have a weakness of some kind."

"Gambling," Shmi said at once. "Everything here revolves around those awful races."

"Greed can be a powerful ally, if used properly," Qui-Gon said wisely, looking at Padmé with a stern expression. Anakin lept up in his chair and smiled.

"I've got a racer!" he said proudly. "It's the fastest ever! I built it with parts Zarina bought with the money she got from her music. There's a big race day after tomorrow on Boonta Eve. You could enter my Pod! It's all but finished –"

"Anakin!" Zarina said. "You know Watto would never let you race, especially if he knew were you got the parts for it."

"Watto doesn't have to know the racer's mine!" he insisted. "You manage to sing for coins all the time!" Zarina frowned at her brother and breathed heavily through her noise.

"And you know I nearly got caught as many times as I don't!" she said. "I only do it when we need the money, you know that." Anakin ignored his sister and turned to Qui-Gon.

"You could make him think it was yours! You could get him to let me drive it for you!" Anakin insisted as if it were to be taken as fact that this was the plan. Qui-Gon shot a glance over to where Shmi sat, her eyes holding a series of emotions. Qui-Gon refrained from answering the young boy until Shmi talked directly to him.

"I don't want you to race, Ani," Shmi said in a gentle but firm tone. Concern flittered across her face. "It's awful. I hate it every time Watto makes you do it." Anakin bit his lip.

"But Mom! I love it!" Anakin said. "And they need my help. The prize money should be more than enough for the parts they need."

Qui-Gon finally stepped into the verbal battle between Anakin and his mother and sister, firmly choosing the side belonging to the two women. He had no interest in putting a child's harm way if there was another way out.

"Your mother's right," Qui-Gon said finally, meaning it to be the end of the Podracing discussion. "Do you know of anyone friendly to the Republic who might be able to help us?"

Shmi sighed and shook her head, murmuring a quiet 'no'.

"We have to help them, Mom," Anakin said, his voice sounding far more mature than that of a nine-year old boy. He knew that this was the right thing to do – the Jedi and his companions needed help only they could provide. "Remember what you said? The biggest problem in this galaxy in this universe is that no one helps anyone."

Shmi sighed. "Anakin, don't –"

"But you said it, Mom." Anakin turned his gaze to Zarina. "Rina, what if they needed you to sing to raise money for the parts? Wouldn't you do it?" Zarina sighed and didn't answer. Of course, she would, but she was nearly twenty years old, he was barely approaching that of ten.

"I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger," Padmé assured. "We'll find another way –"

"There is no other way," Shmi said regretfully, not looking at anyone. "I may not like it, but he can help you." She paused for a second, a small smile dancing on the edge of her lips. "Maybe he was meant to help you."

* * *

The next day, Zarina was in the kitchen preparing whatever food they had for her family and the Jedi and his companions. Zarina was thankful that they had gotten a small ration package from Watto today due to him being in a good mood. Watto tended to be a better mood whenever he was during gambling. She just hoped that this panned out where he didn't get burned – he tended to be in bad moods for weeks after losing.

"Zarina?" Zarina looked up from where she was kneading some dough to see Qui-Gon entering the kitchen with a curious expression.

"Qui-Gon," Zarina said. "I thought you would be with Anakin, preparing for the race." Qui-Gon smiled and shook his head.

"I'm afraid that I'm not all that good with Podracers, I would be about as useful as Jar Jar," he said, humor in his voice. Zarina laughed once at the thought of Jar Jar helping Anakin finish up the Pod. Zarina had seen a bit of it when she had come home from Watto's shop earlier. Watto had let Anakin go home a bit earlier to prepare for the race, but that had meant that she had stayed over later than normal. Jar Jar had meant well and was just trying to help, but had seemed to be doing more harm than good.

"It seems we have that common," Zarina quipped with a smile. Qui-Gon's lips turned up into a smile.

"You must be pretty proud of your brother," Qui-Gon ventured. Zarina smiled at Qui-Gon and wiped her hands on her pants.

"Of course," Zarina said. "Anakin is basically my entire universe." Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at her and she continued. "He was born a year after my father left. And I promised myself that no matter what I would never let him get disappointed the way my dad disappointed me."

"Do you and Anakin have the same father?" Qui-Gon inquired. Zarina scoffed and returned to kneading her dough.

"Mom claims Anakin didn't have one," Zarina said. Qui-Gon raised a quizzical eyebrow and leaned against the counter near her.

"And you don't believe her?" Qui-Gon asked. Zarina didn't know why this was so important Qui-Gon but rolled her eyes and answered her anyway.

"I don't worry about who Anakin's father is or if Anakin has a father," Zarina said simply. In truth, Zarina had never really given the thought of Ani's father all that much attention. All that mattered was that now Anakin was here, and he needed people to help guide him. Zarina's father, Maripose, had bailed when she was eight years old – bought off his own freedom and left his wife and daughter to rot here on a backwater planet in the middle of nowhere. Zarina had made a promise when she was nine years old and held Anakin in her arms that no matter what that she would always be the best big sister she could be. "He's here now, and I intend to be the big sister he needs."

Qui-Gon smiled at her words. Zarina obviously cared very deeply about Anakin, and her mother as well. With no way to shield her emotions, Zarina was quite easy to read. That's how he knew that beneath all that love and affection for Anakin was also a bit of longing. She longed to understand something about him, which Qui-Gon suspected was something to do with the powers he believed Anakin to have.

"You want to understand him," he ventured. She blinked several times in surprise at him voicing her feelings, before she remembered she was speaking with a Jedi. She sighed and stopped kneading, leaning her hands against the small counter for support.

"He can see things, know things before it's possible for him to know them," Zarina said quietly. "I'm so scared that one day it'll get him into trouble, that someone will catch on and he'll be punished or sold or – or – or – worse. I want to help him, teach him how to control it so that he won't get in trouble, but I know I can't. I'm not like him, not like that."

Qui-Gon nodded and let that information sink in. "He has the Force. Had he been born in the Republic, he would have most likely been identified."

"I assume that you're not really here to free slaves," Zarina said. "But please, whenever you go back where you came from, if you can, at least free Anakin. At least with you, we won't have to worry about if someone wants to buy him away from us." Zarina knew that this was a selfish request – asking this Jedi to take a child with him on whatever mission he is so desperately needed on. But whatever it was, whatever Qui-Gon and Padmé were doing, it couldn't possibly be worse than the reality that Anakin faced.

"I can't promise you that I can take Anakin with me," Qui-Gon said truthfully. Zarina's spirit fell at the words but she only sighed as an outward sign on her sorrow. She had been finally daring to hope that Anakin could realistically have a better life than he was destined for if he remained here. "But I can promise that I will try."

Zarina felt her spirit heighten just a little at his amendment to the statement, but not enough for her to be disappointed if it doesn't come true. This was her plot in life – to take care of Anakin and be disappointed whenever she couldn't deliver for him. But Zarina knew that one day she would get Anakin his freedom, no matter what the cost.

"Thank you," she said. Qui-Gon placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her with a comforting expression.

"Don't thank me Zarina," Qui-Gon said. "We still have a race to win."

* * *

Qui-Gon was unsure what to make of the Skywalker family. They were a strange unit, a group cemented into roles by the hand they were dealt by fate. Everything they did was in the name of protecting each other or providing for each other.

It all seemed to be centered around Anakin. Qui-Gon could sense a slight favoritism from Shmi for Anakin, something Zarina either was oblivious to or didn't care about. It was slight, barely enough to matter, so it was probable she just didn't recognize it. Shmi went out of her way to keep Anakin safe and had only relented to let the little boy help them when she saw that there was no other choice. Qui-Gon had no doubt that Shmi would have done the same for Zarina if it was her in the position to help, but had more faith in her being able to take care of herself. If she were to get caught, she could handle it better than Anakin.

Zarina was a mystery as well. Ty'gen were notorious for never being in one place for very long, and her bright violet eyes were the markers of that heritage. It was so strange to see one forced to remain still and silent, two things that went against that very nature. And she had no interest in getting herself off this planet if it meant Anakin got left behind. But he could see it in her eyes that she yearned to leave, to travel. That nomadic part of her was attempting to pull her far and away from here, no matter how much she refused to let that side of her get their hopes up.

And the boy – that boy! Anakin had so many markers of Force-sensitivity: limited clairvoyance, reflexes that far exceed that of normal nine-year old boys, reaching things that were just a tad out of reach. Zarina had been right when she had said that those powers were dangerous out here. Qui-Gon was surprised that Sebulba or Watto hadn't caught onto the fact that Anakin had special abilities and hadn't rented him out to seedy showmen for an extra buck.

When he had talked to Shmi and Zarina, both had asked him if they could take him away. Qui-Gon hadn't promised them anything, after all it was the will of the Force if he should be destined to return to the Jedi with him. But Qui-Gon could feel something great and powerful twisting around Anakin, something mysterious that kept leading Qui-Gon down a path of believing that this boy just might be The Chosen One. Could he be the one to bring balance? Was he? Was he not? So many what ifs for one little boy….

Inside the home, he could hear people getting ready for the end of a day. Shmi was currently arguing with Anakin to sleep, who was making claim he still needed to get ready for tomorrow. He could hear some stifled laughs at the encounter and the banging of items as Jar Jar mangled around in his gangly way. Just over the noise he could hear a gentle hum of a song – most likely from Zarina as she herself prepared for the next day absentmindly.

 _Yes,_ he thought with a smile, walking into the door of the home. _The Skywalkers are most peculiar indeed._

* * *

 ** _Review Replies:_**

 **SwordSeer: Thank for your feedback. I see a lot of Anakin with Force-sensitive siblings and I read a bunch of them, but I also think that Anakin having a "normal" sister is just as compelling a story idea. I think it gives a way to illuminate his holding on to his past other than a few dialogue lines, as a connection to a sibling is a strong relationship to have. If someone were to tell me to give up my attachment to my younger siblings I know that I wouldn't be able to do it. I hope I managed to clear up Zarina vs Anakin's parentage, but just in case, she is his half-sister. I'm super sorry for the super late update!**

 ** _Hey. A new chapter. Would you look at that? It's been over a year for a second chapter and it's only like 4,000 words long, and there are no excuses I can give for this absence on this fic that in anyway makes this okay. Especially since_** **At Last I See The Light,** ** _my_** **Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir** ** _fic and_** **All The Stories We Made,** ** _my Marvel Cinematic Universe High School AU story, were published after and are eight and two chapters deep respectively._**

 ** _More chapters are coming, I promise. I just came into some free time thanks to two commitments coming to an end, and I'm working on the third chapter of this and_** **All The Stories We Made** ** _when every I can._** **At Last I See The Light,** ** _know that I will get to you as soon as I get official deadlines for myself. Once I get at least three fics with three chapters a piece I start to hold deadlines for myself, so know that I'm in a mad dash to get those two done._**

 ** _Next chapter Zarina and Anakin should meet Obi-Wan if all goes according to plan – and boy is that going to be fun!_**


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